Loading device for externally mounted tank guns



G. EVEN I April 15, 1958 2,830,499 LOADING DEVICE FOR EXTERNALLY MOUN'TED TANK GUNS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 30, 1955 .ZiRUiZ'ZfEOI" 6'. E0 12 G. EVEN April 15, 1958 LOADING DEVICE FOR EXTERNALLY MOUNTED TANK GUNS Filed Sept. 30, 1955 2 Sheets-SheetB LOADIN De ice iron EXTERNALLY MOUNTED I This invention relates to a device for loading a weapon supported externally on a fighting tank or similar armoored-war vehicles.

With this type of weapon, it is essential to provide facilities for storing projectiles inside the cockpit of the vehicle as wellas means for bringing the said projectiles successively from inside the cockpit into the loading end i of each w'eap'onf .Moreover, during a loading operation,

the operators or gunners should remain protected to the vnicdsms mm Q greatest possible extent. In particular, the'loading operator should not be obliged toexpose any part ofhis body outside and no substantial discontinuity should be created in the armouring by a loading operation.

The main object of the invention is therefore to provlde a loadingdevice of the typereferred to, essentially con- "stituted by a hollow projectile-supporting movable member, hereafter called the loading cradle, adapted to pick up a projectile from aninternal magazine and to bring the said projectile, througha suitable opening in said armouring, into alignment with the loading inlet of the weapon to be-loaded, means for introducing the projectile into the said inlet, andmeans for coverlng 1n advance the parts to be exposed through said opening during the loading stroke of said cradle.

Anotherobject of the invention, in the case when the weapon to be loaded is of the recoil type, is to store the energy generated by the firing of the projectile which is, usually, wasted in the objectionable recoil of the weapon, in view of actuating the loading mechanism.

In a particular embodiment of the, invention, the load- .ing cradle is tiltably mounted on the armouring around an axis parallel to that of the weapon to be loaded and the projectiles in the'internal magazine extend in a general direction also parallel with said axes.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, givenmerely by way of, example and in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an armoured vehicle equipped with two guns, each provided with a loading device according to the invention, the loading device of the upper gun (in the drawing) being shown'in loading position, while the loading device of the other gun is shown at rest,

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view, showing substantially in a plane, along line 2,2 of'Fig. 3 the details of the loading device and some elements of a hydraulic system for controlling the same, and

Fig. 3 is also a diagrammatic view of the loading device and the other elements of the hydraulic control system. i I 7 Referring first to Fig. 1,: there is shown at 1 the roof of an armoured vehiclecarrying a turret 2 equipped with two external guns 3 and 3K.

The said guns, in the example shown, are recoil guns,

the. compensating springs of which are shown at 4. In thedrawingfthe. breech 5 of the gun 3 is open, while the breech 5 of the gun 3' is closed.

In the rearward portion of the turret 2, thereare arranged two superposed projectile magazines. In Fig. 1,

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one of the said magazines 6, provided for feeding projectiles into the gun'3, has been shown in dotted lines. The projectiles 7 are continuously urged towards the breech 5 of the gun 3 by elastic means as diagrammatically shown in dotted lines at 8.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, 11 is the rearward portion of the vehicle turret containing the magazines, one of which is shown at'6, while the projectiles are shown at 7.

A loading cradle which is provided to pick up each projectile successively with a view of bringing it into alignment with the breech of the gun, is shown at 12.

The said cradle is mounted on the turret 2; in the example shown, it is pivoted about a geometrical axis'coinciding with that of the piston rod 13, fixedly secured on the turret by its two ends as indicated at 14 and 15 in Fig. 3. The loading cradle 12 assumes, at rest, the position shown in full line in Fig. 2, wherein its outer surface constitutes an extension of the adjacent outer surface of the armouring of the rear portion 11 of the turret while its open end lies against the adjacent end of the magazine 6. Once the loading cradle 12 has been brought into loading position, shown in dot-dash line in Fig. 2, a projectile 7 supported by said cradle extends along the axis of the breech 5 of the gun 3. The pivoting motion of the loading cradle 12 is ensured by a rack 17 meshing with splines of the cradle and fast with the piston 18 slidably mounted in a cylinder 19. To hold the projectiles remaining in the magazine, Whenever the'loading cradle has picked up one of them, there is provided asliding gate 21 (Fig. 2) secured at one end of a protecting plate .22, the main function of which is to cover in advance the opening through which the cradle is brought from resting position into loading position. The said gate is actuated by a piston 23 slidably mounted in a cylinder 24.

For introducing into the breech 5a projectile 7 carried by the cradle 12in a loading position, there is provided a pushing member 25 supported on a lever 26 fixedly secured on a cylinder 27 slidably mounted on the piston rod 13. The pushing member 25 is adapted to be traversed longitudinally inside the cradle 12 and to follow the same during its pivoting movements. There is provided, for this purpose, two bosses 2828 on the lever 26 for guiding the latter along internal surfaces of the cradle 12.

The cylinder 27 is further provided with a lug 32 in abutting relationship with another lug 33 fast with the breech 5 of the gun, so that, as the latter recoils, after a short free stroke, it drives the cylinder 27 rearwardly. The said cylinder 27 is also provided with an annular groove 34 adapted to receive a lock 35 shortly before the end of the recoiling stroke. The lock 35 is mounted on a piston 36 slidably in a hollow piston 37 and subjected to the action of a compression spring 71. The hollow piston 37 is slidably mounted in turn in a cylinder 72, the end spaces of which communicate through ducts 73 and 74, respectively,

with a hydraulic distributor generally shown at 75, the sliding valve of said distributor being continuously subjected to the action of a spring 76 and carrying a push rod 77.

The hydraulic system further comprises a pressure oil accumulator 41, an oil tank 42, a sliding-valve distributor 43 communicating on one side with the said accumulator and tank respectivelythrough ducts 44, 45 and, on the other side, with ducts 46, 47, respectively, leading to the cylinders 19 and 24 respectively. The arrangement is such that when the sliding valve of the distributor 43 assumes itsleft-hand terminal position (in Fig. 3), the ducts 44 and 45 are set into communication with the ducts46 and 47, respectively, while when the said sliding valve lies in its opposite terminal position, the ducts 44 and 45 are conversely set into communication with the ducts 47 and .46, respectively.

Now, the sliding valve of the distributor 43 is linked with a lever 48 pivoted at 49, on a fixed support 51 and adapted to be tilted clockwise by a pin 52 provided on the cylinder 27 as the latter reaches its resting position. The lever 48 is provided with an extension 53 hinged at 54 on said lever, both articulated arms being urged by a spring 55 into mutual alignment. The arm 53 is adapted to be tiltedcounter-clockwise by a finger 56 fixedly secured on the breech of the gun as the same reaches its firing position.

Thepiston rod 13 is hollow along its whole length on either side of the piston 31. The axial passage 57 of the said piston rod permanently communicates with the duct .44 and is provided with an opening 58 giving access to the inner space of the sliding cylinder 27 on the left side of the piston 31. The axial passage 61 of the same piston rod is also provided with an opening 62 giving also access to the inner space of the cylinder 27 on the right side of the piston 31. Hydraulic fluid may be sent from passage 61 into the accumulator 41 through a non-return valve 63, and from the tank 42 into the passage 61 through a non-return valve 64. There is shown in dot-dash line at 65 an unloading valve for evacuating excess pressure fluid from the duct 66.

Now the piston 18 (Fig. 2) carries a rod 67 adapted to actuate the push rod 77 (Fig. 3); at rest, there is a certain spacing between said rods. In the control cylinders 19 and 24, there have been shown compression springs, the function of which is to hold the pistons in resting position in case of a failure in the hydraulic system.

The above described mechanism operates as follows:

At rest, all parts are set in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

It will be assumed that the gun has been previously loaded and is presently being fired. As the projectile is expelled, the gun recoils, the breech 5 is displaced towards the right (Fig. 3), after a short free stroke of said breech, the cylinder 27 is displaced in the same direction under abutment of the lugs 32, 33. The said cylinder was originally full of oil, that escapes, through the opening 58 and the axial passage 57, into the accumulator 41. It is to be noted here that the energy generated by the recoil of the gun is thus stored into the accumulator. At the same time, the motion of the cylinder 27 causes oil to be sucked thereinto from the tank 42 through the valve 64, the passage 61 and the opening 62.

As the cylinder 27 reaches the end of its stroke, the lock 35 is automatically engaged into the annular groove 34.

The sliding valve of the distributor 43 remains stationary during the recoil of the gun, since at the very beginning of said recoil, the finger 56 releases the lever 53 which is urged into aligned position with the lever 48 by the spring 55, the said lever 48 being still held stationary by the pin 52 of the cylinder 27 due to the spacing between the lugs 32 and 33 at rest. The arrangement is such that, when the lug 33 of the breech is brought into contact with the lug 32 of the cylinder 27, the lever 53 is already aligned with the lever 48 so that the spring 55 is made inoperative.

The distributor 43 thus remains in resting position. After recoil and under the action of the compensating springs 4 (Fig. l), the gun is brought back into firing position and the breech reassumes the position shown in Fig. 3, but the cylinder 27 remains locked by 35. As the breech 5 is on the point of reaching the end of its return stroke, the finger 56 of said breech causes counterclockwise tilting of the arm 53 and, hence, through the spring 55, of the lever 48 (Fig. 3). The slidingvalve of the distributor 43 is thus actuated. The pressure in the accumulator 41 is transmitted through the duct 44 and the distributor 43 into the duct 47 and, thence, into the cylinder 24. The piston 23 is lifted and lifts in turn the plate 22 and the magazine gate 21. Immediately thereafter, the piston 23 uncovers the opening of the duct 30 and the pressure oil penetrates into the cylinder 19 wherein it pushes piston 18 for actuating the rack 17. The loading cradle 12 is tilted towards the right (Fig. 2) to be brought into the position shown in dot-dash line together with a projectile 7 then brought into alignment with the loading inlet of the breech 5. At the same time, the piston 18 causes a displacement of the rod 67 and, after a dead stroke thereof, of the push rod 77.

The distributor 75 then sets the accumulator 41 into communication with the duct 73 through the duct 66, which results in lowering the hollow piston 37 and, hence, in releasing the lock 35 from the annular groove 34 of .the cylinder 27. The oil pressure of the accumulator 41, transmitted through the passage 57 and the opening 58 acts on one side of the piston 31 thus causing a displacement of the cylinder 27 towards the left (Fig. 3), the oil containedin said cylinder, on the other side of the piston the surface of which is smaller, being, meanwhile, returned into the accumulator through the opening 62, the axial passage 61, the non-return valve 63 and the duct 66. During the return stroke of the cylinder 27 towards its original position (Fig. 3), the lever 26 and the pushing member 25 fast therewith are actuated to introduce the projectile 7 into the breech 5. As the cylinder 27 reaches the end of its return stroke, it pushes the lever 48 towards the left, which resets the sliding valve of the distributor 43 in its original position, so that the pressure oil from the accumulator passes through the duct 46 as previously to push the piston 18 back and, hence, through the rack 17, to tilt the loading cradle 12, to bring it back against the magazine 6. The piston 23 is displaced downwardly by the pressure oil, which lowers the gate 21 thus releasing the next projectile which is automatically brought onto the loading cradle under the action of the spring 8 (Fig. l). The protecting plate 22 is also lowered but the opening in the armouring is now obturated by the loading cradle 12 itself. When the piston 18 has reassumed its original position shown in Fig. 2, the rod 67 fast with said piston releases the push rod 77 controlling the distributor 75 and the said push rod reassumes its original position in turn under the action of the spring 76. The pressure oil admitted under the piston 37 through the duct 74 lifts the lock 35 again while the oil previously contained above said piston 37 returns into tank 42 through the ducts 73 and 78. All parts have now reassurned their initial setting and a new loading cycle may take place.

The above described mechanism oifers many advantages. The projectiles are kept in a magazine inside the armoured vehicle. The loading operations are efiected entirely from inside the vehicle, while the operator does not have to expose any part of his body or even his hands. The armouring is kept completely enclosed at any time either by the loading cradle itself in its resting position, or by the protecting plate 22 when the loading cradle leaves the said resting position. Moreover, in the example described, the loading is automatically ensured by the recoil of the weapon under the action of the energy generated by said recoil. In a general manner, while I have, in the above description, disclosed what I deem to be practical and eflicient embodiments of my invention, it should be well understood that I do not Wish to be limited thereto as there might be changes made in the arrangement, disposition and form of the parts without departing from the principle of the, present invention.

In particular, in the example shown in Fig. 1, the gun is provided with a conventional pivoting breech. The said breech may be actuated from inside the turret by any suitable transmission. It is also possible to provide a so-called wedge breech requiring but a mere translaing the said transmission system.

In the description as well as in the appended claims,

, the expression external weapon or other related terms,

means a weapon the loading end of which is located outside the armouring of the vehicle even if a part of said weapon passes through the same, and even if an additional armouring is provided to protect the weapon itself.

What is claimed is:

1. In a tank vehicle comprising a turret, a gun barrel extending in a substantially tangential direction relative to said turret and having at least its rear end positioned externally of said turret, an opening in the side Wall of said turret behind said rear end of the barrel, and a loading device including a protecting member adapted to close said opening and carrying ammunition supporting means at its inner side, said member being movable in a direction substantially transverse to said tangential direction between a position in which it closes said opening and a position in which said supporting means are in alignment with said rear end of the barrel, and a rammer member mounted for movement with said protecting member in said tangential direction and for sliding movement relative thereto.

2. In a tank vehicle comprising a turret, a gun barrel extending in a substantially tangential direction relative to said turret and having at least its rear end positioned externally of said turret, the side wall of said turret behind said rear end of the barrel being provided with an opening, and a loading device including a protecting plate adapted to close said opening and ammunition supporting means carried at its inner side, said plate being mounted to pivot about an axis parallel to the axis of said barrel between a position in which it closes said opening and a position in which said supporting means are in alignment with said rear end of the barrel, and a rammer member mounted for swinging movement with said plate and for sliding movement relative thereto.

3. A tank vehicle according to claim 2, in which additional protecting means are provided to close said opening of the turret when said plate is in the loading position.

said feed means through said opening into said rear end of the barrel and including a channel member having a bottom wall portion of arcuate cross-section, an outer side wall portion adapted to close said opening, and an inner side wall portion of smaller height than said outer wall portion, said side wall portions being provided with diverging ammunition supporting surfaces and said bottom wall portion being mounted in said turret to rotate about an axis parallel to the axis of said gun barrel to thereby swing said side wall portions from a feeding position in which said supporting surfaces are in alignment with said feed means and in which said opening is closed by said outer side wall portion to a loading position in which said supporting surfaces are in alignment with said rear end of the barrel, a rammer member mounted in said channel member for swinging movement therewith and for sliding movement relative thereto, means for controlling the swinging movement of said channel member between said feeding position and said loading position, and means for controlling the sliding movement of said rammer member between a position corresponding to the start of the ramming stroke and a position corresponding to the end thereof.

5. A tank vehicle according to claim 4, in which said means for controlling the swinging movement of said channel member and said means for controlling the sliding movement of said rammer member comprise a source of liquid under pressure, a carrier for said rammer member responsive to liquid pressure from said source to urge the rammer member in the ramming direction, abutment means on said rear end of the gun barrel and on said carrier operative to move the latter in the opposite direction by the recoil of said barrel, stop means for holding said carrier at the end of its recoil operated stroke against the liquid pressure from said source, a liquid pressure responsive piston means for swinging said channel member between said feeding position and said loading position, a distributor valve for connecting one or the other side of said piston means with either said source or the exhaust and having a movable valve actuating member operable by counter-recoil of said gun barrel so as to cause said piston means to swing said channel member into its loading position, release means operated by said piston means in the correct timing for releasing saidstop means when said channel member has reached said loading position, and further abutment means on said carrier adapted to engage said valve actuating member near the end of the ramming stroke so as to cause said piston means to swing said channel member into its feeding position when said rammer member has reached the end of its ramming stroke.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,410,116 Vickers Oct. 29, 1946 2,418,656 Molins et a1. Apr. 8, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 735,278 Great Britain Aug. 11. 1955 

